It is often desirable to remove the air or gas from a container or enclosed space, for example, when packing and storing materials in a flexible container to remove the air or gas from within the packing containers or bags to reduce the overall size of the packed container. Often, the size of a packed container can be reduced by reducing or eliminating the amount of ambient air or other gases within the container or bag. It may also be desirable to remove the ambient air or other gases from containers in order to preserve the integrity or freshness of the packed materials. Conversely, it may be desirable to inflate containers, for example bags, with ambient air or other gases.
A vacuum seal, whether strong or weak, is one way to attach one structure to another structure without the use of adhesives, or the need for other attachment members that require holes in one or both of the structures, such as screws and bolts.
What is needed are methods, devices and systems for injecting or removing air or other gases from containers or enclosed areas that comprise valves and valve-contacting assemblies for operating the valves to remove or inject the air or gas. What is also needed are methods and devices for use in affixing a one structure to another with a vacuum seal.